Swept Away
by WishingDreamer5
Summary: One rainy day, Cloud Strife shows up on Tifa's doorstep, wounded and unconscious. Tifa takes him in, but little does she know that this will turn her whole world upside down. Some things are not what they seem, and Cloud is not who they think he is. While Cloud tries to find out more about his mysterious past, he has to face many challenges in his new life, love being one of them..
1. The Day I Met Him

**A/N: So here it is, my first and probably only Cloti AU story. But then there's also the saying "Never say never." Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter. Let me know if you're interested in the continuation of this. :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>~ "Are you the Tee-fah?" ~<em>

* * *

><p>It was one of those normal, lazy Sunday afternoons in the 7th Heaven. Well, as normal as it could get for a bartender who had to take care of her friend's two children. Still, it was nothing she couldn't handle. Denzel and Marlene were great children. They listened to her and respected her. These two were the perfect children she never had. Well, until now, because she kind of regarded them their own too, seeing as she spent more time with them than anyone else.<p>

"Marlene, please put on a sweater or vest, before Jack Frost nips at your nose!"

"Aye aye, Tifa!"

The girl saluted her and then ran upstairs to look for something warm and pink to match her cute outfit.

"Who's Jack Frost?" a ten-year-old boy asked curiously.

Tifa ruffled his hair affectionately, messing it up even more now. "You'll get to hear more about him right before bedtime, okay Denzel?"

Denzel nodded, a wide grin appearing on his face. "Okay, cool!"

It was nearly six o'clock and Tifa was almost done with all her chores. Everything looked spick and span, from the bar to the kitchen. One could probably eat from the floor without having to worry about dirt. The kids were clean too and they had finished cleaning their bedroom. All in all, she had been pretty busy this weekend, but that was nothing new. There were just things that had to happen every week. On weekdays, she would be too busy with running 7th Heaven to worry about such things. Of course, things could have been a lot easier if there had been a man at her side to help her. But Tifa refused to let a man in her life just for that reason. She had no time for nor interest in having a relationship. Unfortunately for her, she had to tell that over and over again to some people who didn't seem to get it.

But she was digressing. For now, all that was left was the garbage that she had to bring outside, and the dinner that she had to prepare. And she was about to take care of the first. She would worry about the second as soon as she had taken care of the garbage. It was a pity that it had been raining cats and dogs for the past two hours now, because that meant that she wouldn't be able to stay dry.

That being said, the pretty bartender took the full, dark-grey bag with her and she tried to open the front door with her free hand. However, the door jammed.

"Ugh, stupid door!" Tifa muttered irritably under her breath, while giving it one last pull.

She would have to take a look at that tomorrow…if she doesn't forget, that is. It was getting too dark to take care of that now. Maybe if it hadn't started raining, it would have been possible, but alas.

After putting down the garbage bag, she opened the door, now using both her hands. However, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next. Before she knew what hit her, a tall, blonde man, who was about to knock on their door apparently, fell forward, right in her arms. Unable to cope with the newly added weight (the guy was rather heavy, despite his normal figure), Tifa's legs gave away and she fell too.

Before she could even ask the stranger if he was all right, he lost consciousness.

Maybe today was not one of those normal, lazy Saturday afternoons after all.

* * *

><p>Everything hurt, <em>so much<em>. Even muscles of which he had no idea that they even _existed_ were hurting. And it wasn't just one kind of pain. Apparently, there were different kinds of pains too. His head felt too heavy too. Was this what it felt like to be run over by a train multiple times? Possibly, though this felt worse. It was a wonder that he could still think, even if it wasn't as clearly as usual.

And was it just him or did the ground feel more comfortable today? He had no problem with lying here for a bit longer until at least his dizziness would go away (he already knew that the pain wasn't temporary, unfortunately). Maybe if he didn't open his eyes just yet, people thought he was dead and everyone would leave him be.

_Sounds...like a plan_, he thought. Cloud shifted a bit, but noticed the weight on his stomach. _What the..._

He sighed and opened his eyes reluctantly. The blonde had to blink a couple of times to clear his vision. There were a few things that he noticed all at the same time. One: a cute little girl who couldn't possibly be older than four was sitting on his stomach, staring curiously at him without blinking. Two: he was lying on a soft couch, in an unfamiliar, dimly lit room. Three: somehow, his shirt had disappeared mysteriously. Four: someone had actually bothered to clean his wounds and bandage it and he doubted that it was this angelic little girl.

How did he get here in the first place? Why couldn't he remember anything?

"Hi. Tifa says you're a sleepy-head." Even her voice was like a sweet medley of little bells.

_Wha...?_ he thought, his thoughts still kind of fuzzy.

He tried to sit up slightly, leaning on his elbows, so that the girl wouldn't fall off him and get hurt. "Who's…" Cloud shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Where am I? Who are you?"

She tilted her head to the side, still not breaking eye contact. "I'm Marlene, but I'm not allowed to talk to strangers. Tifa told me to keep an eye on you in case you roll over in your sleep and fall off the couch. That's why I'm sitting here; so you won't fall. I'm heavy."

The corners of his mouth quirked upwards at that, despite the fact that he felt miserable. This kid was adorable. He was about to tell her that, when he caught movement in the corner of his eyes. Cloud blinked, vaguely aware that his mouth had dropped open at the sight of the beautiful dark-haired woman who had entered the room. Her long, silky smooth hair matched her black outfit and those dark, dark eyes. That color seriously looked good on her because of her flawless skin.

When he regained his composure, he asked, "Are you the Tee-fah?"

He must have pronounced it oddly, because she laughed. "The one and only. I see you woke up. How do you feel?"

He shrugged and instantly regretted doing so when a sharp pain shot from the back of his shoulder all the way to his skull and back.

The woman must have seen his grimace, because she shook her head. "Liar." He opened his mouth to protest, but she beat him to it by saying, "Why don't you freshen up? The bathroom's upstairs, first door on your right. We'll meet you in the kitchen, alright?"

He nodded and got up from his place. Cloud could feel her watching him, in case he'd lose his balance. The last thing he could hear was the little girl asking in a hushed tone, "Will he be okay?"

Once he'd reached the bathroom, Cloud turned on the light and looked at his pale features in the mirror. He had bags under his eyes from here to Midgar (assuming that he wasn't in Midgar right now of course). At the moment, he looked more like a dead zombie than a living person. No wonder the woman saw right through his lie. It was hard not to when he looked like shit.

If only he knew why his memories were gone. Was it amnesia? If so, then what had caused that? Where did he come from? Why was he so weak and hurt?

He opened the faucet, cupped some water in his hands and splashed it in his face, even though he already knew that it wouldn't make any difference. But since he couldn't let them wait too long (that would be plain rude), he decided to dry his face and go downstairs again.

As soon as he'd entered the clean and cozy kitchen, Tifa greeted him with, "Hey. I made you something to eat meanwhile. Have a seat."

His sat down where Tifa had put a plate with what seemed to be Spaghetti Bolognese, and a cool glass of water. The cute girl was sitting on the chair on his left side, and a boy with messy hair was sitting on the opposite side of him. He wondered if they were Tifa's own children. If so, where was her husband? How could he leave her all by herself at this time of the day? Not that it was any of his business, but still, he thought it was a little odd.

He picked up his knife and fork and started eating. As it turned out, Tifa was a great cook. For some reason, he hadn't expected any different. The children seemed to be following every move he made, to the point that Cloud started to feel a little uncomfortable under their stares. Eventually, he gave up and made eye contact with the boy.

Almost at once, he asked defiantly, "What's your name?"

"...Cloud. Yours?"

"I'm Denzel." The boy's gaze travelled once again to Cloud's hair. "How'd you get your hair like that? It's _awesome_!"

Cloud frowned, averting his gaze. "…I don't remember."

Almost as if by that reply he had given them a sign, both Denzel and Marlene started firing questions at him, until Tifa finally decided to intervene. "Denzel, Marlene, leave the poor man alone, so he can eat in peace."

Reluctancy was written all over their young faces, but they did as they were told. Cloud let out a relieved breath. Thank heavens they listened to her.

Tifa continued, "Now, I don't remember seeing you two do your homework today. You better start right now, because I know it's due tomorrow."

"Aww!"

Cloud watched the kids leave the kitchen. He guessed that she either felt bad for him and wanted to give him a short break, or she wanted to have a word with him to find out who he really was. It was probably the latter. Too bad that he didn't know it himself.

When they were alone, she said softly, "I'm sorry about that. It's not often that we get visitors here."

He shook his head, slowly this time, because he had learned his lesson. "No, it's fine. They're just kids."

That reply earned him a small smile. "So what do you _do_ remember about yourself?"

He looked down. Cloud had been waiting for this question, but it still did sting a little when he replied, "Only my name."

Tifa nodded thoughtfully. "I was afraid you'd say that, seeing the state you were in when I found you. It's okay, though." She gave him an encouraging smile as she continued, "We'll work from there. And if you promise not to cause any trouble, you can stay here as long as you'd like."

"Thank you. I won't."

With that, he finished his dinner in pure silence.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Aaand? How did I do? What are your expectations for this story? I'll say it in advance though, this might be one of those stories that I won't finish, but I'll try my best. I'd also appreciate it if you could take a look at my new poll and vote. It's about chapter length in general, but I guess I will apply it to this story too. Thanks in advance. :) Also, please keep in mind that I might update very VERY slow from now on (maybe once per three months), because of real life issues, so I hope you understand.**


	2. Scary Dreams and Washing Machines

**A/N: karissycloud was the one who came up with the question what would happen if Cloud turned out to be scared of thunder (would Tifa laugh at him or comfort him). This is my interpretation. I hope you like it. :D Also, I am so sorry for being a lousy updater, but thank you so much for supporting this story and having so much patience with me! I was blown away with the amount of positive response that this got! :D Since it's Valentine's Day, I decided to try and do something for the few readers that are still left. :P Short chapter is short, but I hope you enjoy!  
><strong>

**Thank you: Guest, Shade the Hero, Guest, LindyLinn, xCassie97x, cocosnest3, fyriagita, Mitiya, Tayashia, JukedSolid, Zer0P0int, CrimsonMoon7, A Free Dolphin, Red-Rhapsodos, Cloudshellbullet, t-rats, Lockhart11, sdphantom10, ilickboxes, Smuthermuffin, C. Rinkuki Takato, MIDTERMS, ArthurianMerlin, shealakiah, wild-imagination6695, MrKipling22, nightwriter212, CommanderofInsanity, and Lord Divestre Croft. :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>~ She wasn't one to get startled that easily, but this man was like a ghost, his movements always soft and fast. He could probably kill her before she could brace herself if he wanted to and that really<em>_ said something..._

* * *

><p><em>The room was far too dark for his liking. Normally, he would not have minded that, but this darkness had a certain creepiness to it, even though he couldn't exactly put his finger on why he thought that. <em>

_From his point of view, he couldn't see much of what was going on in the room. Maybe that was a good thing, since he had an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach, almost as if something bad was about to happen. His head was heavy, as though someone was keeping him deliberately in this drugged state. When he tried to lean in slightly to make out the vague shapes in the rooms, his head bumped against an invisible barrier. Glass. He now knew that he was in a tube, filled with a weird, green-ish, faintly glowing substance. Upon closer inspection, he could vaguely distinguish more of these pods that were standing in the dark room, but he couldn't see what was in them. Perhaps more people? But did that mean...was he in a laboratory? _

_Breathing was as hard as seeing for him. He only saw some vague silhouettes and even then he was not sure whether he was imagining the whole thing._

_That was when he spotted a white figure, hunched over a table, as if he was looking over some documents. He wasn't too sure, but it looked as though this figure in white had long black hair, tied in a low ponytail. Was it a woman then?  
><em>

_ When they moved, something in their eyes would glint evilly, or maybe they were just wearing glasses. He knew from memory that the eyes that belonged to the figure were cold and not unlike death_.

With a jolt, Cloud woke up, realizing that he wasn't floating around in one of the green tubes in that cold lab of death, but in a bed, tangled in the sheets and covered in sweat. After glancing at the alarm clock on his nightstand, the blond realized that it was three in the morning, also known as the Witch's Hour.

It took him a moment to recover completely and get his heartrate back to normal, but when he did, he decided to get up and splash some water in his face. He carefully entered the hallway, so as not to wake up the three other inhabitants of the house. The kids, especially Denzel, seemed to be a light sleeper.

In the bathroom, he went straight towards the tap and tried to get enough water in the cup of his hands to splash his now completely pale face with. No, he had not looked into the mirror yet, but he knew himself long enough to know how much he looked like crap right now. Good thing he hadn't walked into Tifa; the poor woman seemed to have enough worries on her own already, without him adding to that. What had gotten into her to take a complete stranger into the house was still a mystery to him. Either way, it was a debt he could probably never repay.

Cloud could only wonder what those strange dreams meant and why he kept having them over and over again. Every time, he would see a bit more of the events than the previous night, but it still made very little sense to him.

Of course, the main question was here: Was this just a dream...or a flashback?

Something told him that he did not want to know the answer to that question.

* * *

><p>"Ugh... Nothing <em>again,<em>" Tifa muttered exasperatedly under her breath. Not that she was surprised at this point.

She had tried looking for the blonde stranger on the internet, from the more famous social media platforms to online dating sites (because she had to admit that he was really, _really_ handsome. A guy like him couldn't possibly be single, but at least this way she knew she'd looked through all options).

Hmm...maybe he wasn't the type to like social media, she thought to herself. He was a bit of an enigma after all, even without the memory loss. The old Cloud probably hated sharing personal info with everyone else. At least that would explain the fact that he didn't seem to exist online...

Another thing she had noticed was how bad he was with the most recent technology. It was as though he had lived under a rock for the past three years. Tifa had spent at least an hour the other day explaining him bits and pieces about how the television worked and such. That couldn't possibly be considered normal, right? Even Denzel and Marlene seemed to know everything about technology without her teaching them, and they were just kids.

"Hey. Did you want to see me?"

Tifa let out a soft gasp, nearly dropping the pen she was holding. She wasn't one to get startled that easily, but this man was like a ghost, his movements always soft and fast. He could probably kill her before she could brace herself if he wanted to and that _really_ said something, considering her martial arts skills... That thought made her shiver right on the spot, so she decided to change the subject.

"Yes. I couldn't find anything about you on the internet or this town's past records. Seems like no one knows you're missing yet either, so I'm not sure what to do next."

Which was odd to say the least. Or maybe he didn't have any family left, but that thought was too painful to say out loud.

He sighed, averting his gaze. "Oh...that's fine I guess. Thank you for trying."

Suddenly, the thunder roared so loudly that she even saw Cloud flinch. As soon as he noticed that she'd seen that, a faint color touched his cheeks. He opened his mouth to say something, but when he heard the thunder strike again, he flinched once again.

It was then that Tifa realized that he was probably scared of the thunder. "No worries, it wasn't that close to here," she said, at an attempt to calm his nerves.

He merely nodded. It made the pretty bartender wonder what had happened for him to dislike the thunder that much, since Marlene had stopped being afraid of the thunder as soon as she had turned four years old. Little did she know that the truth was so heartbreaking that it was better left unsaid...

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something too," Cloud then said, scratching the back of his head.

Tifa tilted her head to the side. "Yes, what is it?"

"I was wondering if I could work for you..."

She raised her eyebrows at that. "You mean like...a fellow bartender?" she guessed.

"Well that, and a bouncer and...a babysitter. You know, for when you need to leave the house or something."

Tifa blinked, wondering if she had heard that last part right. She gave him a onceover. By the looks of it, he could do as bouncer; he was rather lean. If not, he could always use that massive sword of his that she couldn't lift up by herself (she had tried it when he had showed up at her doorstep, unconscious. The wooden floor had the marks to prove that she hadn't been able to pick it up).

"Are you good with children?" she asked, to which Cloud shrugged in response.

"There's only one way to find out. The kids seem to like me, if that goes for anything."

That part was true; despite the fact that he was always a little slow and didn't talk much, the children seemed to think that he was the most awesome thing since lightsabers. That was what made her decide to give him a chance.

"Very well then. You get a novitiate of two months, but don't be fooled by their sweet looks. They can be little devils alright. Is that okay with you?"

He nodded. "Thank you. I'll try to find another job too."

"Don't mention it."

She just hoped that _he_ wasn't going to regret it.

* * *

><p>Tifa was about to start the washing machine when she heard the phone ring. Thankfully, Cloud happened to pass the room, so she could ask the blond if he could finish it up and turn on the machine.<p>

"I need to look at what we need to order. You know how this works, right?" she asked, still remembering the television incident of a few days ago.

"Yeah..." he replied slowly.

"Good. The washing powder is in the white closet over there. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

With that, the dark-haired beauty left him behind. Cloud scratched the back of his head sheepishly, giving the white washing machine a onceover. It couldn't possibly be that hard, right? He just needed to add a little of this weird pink powder...and a little of the blue one for extra effort…

"Got it," he muttered under his breath, before closing the machine's door.

* * *

><p>Needless to say, it did not take Tifa too long to realize she had made a big mistake by trusting the clueless spiky-haired man with her clothes. When she opened the washing machine again, she saw that not only all of her clothes had shrunk, but some of them, including her favorite dress, had turned pink.<p>

"Oh no... You said you know how it worked!" she said hotly, turning towards a rather sheepish Cloud.

"Oh… Except that I… didn't exactly… I'm dead meat, huh?"

"More or less," was the threatening response. "You've got ten seconds to get out of my face. One… seven… eight…"

Cloud's electric-blue eyes widened considerably at that and he made a dash to the front door.

When he was gone, Tifa sighed and ran a hand over her face. "Oh Shiva, please give me the strength to go on with my life without murdering that man."

Tifa made a mental note not to let the guy cook any meals for them. He might just burn down the whole building.

She didn't have more time to ponder over that possibility, because at that moment, her mobile phone rang. After fishing it out of her pocket, Tifa saw that the person who called her was Yuffie. That alone was a good enough reason to get nervous.

"Tifa speaking."

_"Hey Tif! I just realized how long it's been since we've seen each other, so I was thinking. Why not meet up over the weekend or something? You could drop the kids off at Barrett's or something."_

The pretty bartender agreed that it had been too long, so she replied with, "Sounds like a good plan. See you on Saturday?"

"_Yup! And be prepared, 'cuz I have a little surprise for you! Well, gotta go. Take care!_" the ninja cried.

Before Tifa could protest or talk her out of the idea of surprising her, the young woman had already hung up on her. The brunette let out a deep sigh, wondering if she could handle two disasters in one week.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I would really appreciate it if you could take a look at my latest poll and vote. Thanks in advance! :)  
><strong>

**Next chapter: _"So care to tell me about that sexy beast that you've been hiding from us all?"_  
><strong>


End file.
